Oval Office grandfather clock

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The Oval Office grandfather clock is a Seymour longcase clock. It stands 8 feet 10 inches tall and was made in Boston between 1795 and 1805 by John and Thomas Seymour. It has sat in the Oval Office since 1975 and has stayed a steady feature through many renovations, including changes under several presidents starting with Gerald Ford. The clock is mahogany with crotch birch and satinwood veneers and a double lunette inlay. Its movement was likely built by James Doull of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A 1975 memo notes that First Lady Betty Ford received a collection of Seymour furniture from Vernon Stoneman in 1972 for Patricia Nixon. The clock sits in the northeast corner of the Oval Office, between the visiting guests' door and the West Colonnade entrance. The Seymours were English-born master cabinetmakers who helped shape Federal-style American furniture. The clock is valued at about $100,000. An almost identical Seymour clock is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before this clock, another clock occupied the same corner from 1965 to 1969 during LBJ and early Nixon administrations. All 85 White House clocks are wound by John Muffler, the White House’s long-serving chief electrician. The chimes have been turned off since Truman’s time to avoid synchronization problems. President Carter once recalled watching the clock for much of a long stay in the Oval Office during the Iran hostage crisis. The clock has appeared in many official photos of presidents meeting world leaders. James Comey mentioned the clock in a congressional statement about his firing, which drew social media attention.